Othman Ahmed al Ghamdi, a former Gitmo detainee, has risen within al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s ranks to commander. He is featured in a tape, along with other AQAP leaders, that celebrates the Fort Hood shooting and the failed Christmas Day 2009 attack, and also threatens further attacks on America.
The Yemeni government erroneously reported that one of the two al Qaeda leaders, Qasim al Raymi, was killed in January. Al Raymi is al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s military chief. His brother is currently held at Guantanamo.
A judge has ruled that Mohamedou Ould Slahi should be released from Guantanamo. Slahi was a key recruiter of 9/11 point man Ramzi Binalshibh, tactical commander Mohammed Atta, and two other suicide pilots, and was a top facilitator in the failed millennium bombing plots.
A former Gitmo detainee, Hani Abdo Shaalan, was killed in Yemen as he was reportedly preparing to participate in an attack on the British embassy and other Western targets. At Gitmo, Shaalan admitted that he worked for the Taliban yet downplayed his role, but evidence indicates he was recruited and trained by the Taliban.
The US has released Abdul Hafiz, who was implicated in the kidnapping and murder of Ricardo Munguía in 2003. Hafiz reportedly “practiced and preached a very extreme interpretation of Islam on the blocks” at Gitmo.
Former Gitmo detainee Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish has emerged as a leading ideologue for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Rubaish repeatedly attacks the Saudi government in his messages and has justified assassinations of Saudi officials. At Gitmo, Rubaish admitted he was a committed jihadist who had been trained in an al Qaeda camp.
Former Guantanamo detainee Yousef Mohammed al Shihri was killed in an Oct. 13 shootout at a checkpoint along the Saudi-Yemeni border. He was reportedly dressed like a woman and planned to commit a suicide attack. Prior to being transferred from Guantanamo, al Shihri allegedly made it clear that he hated all Americans.
A former Guantanamo detainee named Fahd Saleh Suleiman al Jutayli has reportedly been killed in a shootout in Yemen. Prior to his repatriation to Saudi Arabia, Jutayli was accused of having fought at Tora Bora.
One of the more striking aspects of the McChrystal report on Afghanistan is the US military’s assessment of the Taliban’s shadow government: The [Quetta Shura Taliban: QST] has a governing structure in Afghanistan under the rubric of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They appoint shadow governors for most provinces, review their performance, and replace them […]
Rashid Rauf while in Pakistani custody. Click to view. As Bill Roggio has reported previously, there are good reasons to believe that Rashid Rauf, a top al Qaeda planner, survived a November 2008 strike in North Waziristan. Some in the CIA and in the press have claimed that Rauf is dead. But Rauf is “still […]
A former Guantanamo detainee named Mehdi Mohammad Ghezali has reportedly been arrested in Pakistan on terrorism charges. According to the Associated Press: Mehdi-Muhammed Ghezali was arrested with two other Swedes and nine other foreigners close to the country’s northwestern tribal regions… The 12 foreigners were arrested Aug. 28 in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan. […]
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported: Ghulam Yahya, a former mayor of this ancient city along the Silk Road, battled the Taliban for years and worked hand in hand with Western officials to rebuild the country’s industrial hub. Now, Mr. Yahya is firing rockets at the Herat airport and nearby coalition military headquarters. He […]
The testimony of a Guantanamo detainee confirms that cooperation between Iran and the Taliban began prior to the September 11 attacks. The one-time enemies came together to fight their common foe: America.
The US Treasury Department and the UN have designated Abdul Haq as a terrorist with ties to al Qaeda and the Taliban. The designation may complicate the Obama administration’s efforts to relocate seventeen Uighur detainees currently held at Gitmo. Some of the Uighur detainees have openly admitted their ties to Abdul Haq.
A DC district court has ruled that detainee Hedi Hammamy was properly held at Guantanamo. Hammamy is alleged to have fought at Tora Bora, and worked for a network of al Qaeda cells in Europe that plotted against the 1998 World Cup tournament in France.
The US Justice Department has agreed to release a Yemeni detainee from Guantanamo. The detainee, Ayman Saeed Abdullah Batarfi, is a well-educated orthopedic surgeon who allegedly worked for al Qaeda and assisted the organization’s chief anthrax scientist.
British officials are once again seeking the release of a Guantanamo detainee named Shaker Aamer. US intelligence officials think that Aamer is a long-time jihadist and a member of al Qaeda who traveled to the US to meet with al Qaeda cells in 1998 and 2000.
Four high-level US officials discussed the terrorist threat emanating from Somalia, as well as the Somali terrorist recruiting network on American soil, this week. The officials confirmed that al Qaeda and its allies are growing stronger by the day in East Africa.
A former Guantanamo detainee, Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, is now one of the Taliban’s main commanders in southern Afghanistan. Rasoul is reportedly in charge of countering America’s surge of forces in Afghanistan.
Allegations of abuse are repeated verbatim by a willing press, but the US government’s allegations and evidence against Mohamed are often ignored or downplayed.
Saudi Arabia has released a list of 85 “most-wanted” terrorists that includes 11 former Guantanamo detainees. The list also includes an al Qaeda terrorist operating a major network inside Iran.
A DC court ruled that Ghaleb Nassar al Bihani, a detainee at Guantanamo, is being lawfully detained as an enemy combatant. Al Bihani is one of several brothers who have served al Qaeda in some capacity.
Two former Guantanamo detainees appear in an al Qaeda propaganda video. Both detainees have senior positions in al Qaeda in Yemen and have been accused of working with a charity operating in Iran.
What will the new administration do with the only enemy combatant held on US soil? Originally published at The Weekly Standard.
The ACLU’s quest to free a terrorist who admitted his responsibility for the USS Cole bombing.
A new program by Amnesty International advocates “Solidarity with Guantanamo Detainees.”
The story of Muhammad Saad Iqbal, a former Guantanamo detainee, is far more complicated than The New York Times lets on.
A profile of Fahed Abdullah Ahmad Ghazi, who is accused of being one of Osama bin Laden’s bodyguards.
A profile of Adil Hadi Al-Jaza’iri Bin Hamlili, a takfiri who is accused of working with several terrorist organizations including the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Algerian GIA/GSPC and Takfir Wa Hijra.
A profile of Zamir Muhammad, who was an al Qaeda trainer at the Khalden camp in Afghanistan, worked for top al Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah, and was allegedly slotted to take part in an attack against Israel at the time of his capture.